Brain-sharpening techniques to improve your memory

Scientists once believed that a person’s mental ability peaked early in adulthood, then went downhill from there. But over the last few decades, research has found that adults’ brains are still able to form new, memory-building neural networks in a process known as neuroplasticity. The reassuring latest thinking: With a little effort, anyone can boost their power of recollection.

This list of research-backed brain-sharpening techniques practiced over a 6-week period will not enable you to miraculously name all the species of flowers. But at least you can more easily summon where you last parked your car.

Technique #1: Play brain games

Brain training is a series of structured activities that feel like games to arouse and strengthen the brain. The games get more challenging as the training goes on.

Brain training is about making the brain stronger so you can learn more effectively, whatever you want or need to learn. It focuses on improving the basic skills of thinking. These foundational skills include attention, memory, auditory and visual processing, logic and reasoning, and processing speed.

Your body isn’t the only thing that needs a workout – your brain needs stimulation to stay in peak shape. This game works to improve your memory. Studies have shown that keeping your brain challenged and engaged can actually help to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Enjoy these benefits today with these fun brain games!

Puzzles like Sudoku and crosswords may improve memory and delay brain decline. Some studies have found that, while doing crossword puzzles may make you better at remembering the capital of Burkina Faso, there’s little evidence they’ll boost your performance at more general tasks, like remembering where you put your keys.

Developed by neuroscientists, Lumosity's groundbreaking program is based on extensive research in the field of neuroplasticity. The in-house R&D team works with researchers from several of the nation's top universities to learn as much as possible about Lumosity training. Its creators claim that 97 percent of users improve their memory in just 10 hours of playing time.

Technique #2: Eat the right foods

Memory superfoods include antioxidant-rich, colourful fruits and vegetables, which protect your brain from harmful free radicals. Low-glycemic carbohydrates, like oatmeal, and anything with omega-3 fatty acids are included as well.

If saturated and trans fats are the food villains, then mono- and polyunsaturated fats may be the heroes in the dietary battle to preserve memory. In particular, the Mediterranean diet, with its menu of foods that are high in healthy unsaturated fats (olive oil, fish, and nuts) has been linked to lower rates of both dementia due to Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment (MCI)—the stage of memory loss that often precedes dementia.

So what are the components of a brain-healthy diet?

• Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, and olive oil help improve the health of blood vessels, reducing the risk for a memory-damaging stroke.
• Fish are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which have been linked to lower levels of beta-amyloid proteins in the blood and better vascular health.
• Moderate alcohol consumption raises levels of healthy high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. Alcohol also lowers our cells' resistance to insulin, allowing it to lower blood sugar more effectively. Insulin resistance has been linked to dementia.

Technique #3: Master a new skill

Engaging in meaningful activities stimulates your neurological system, counters the effects of stress-related diseases, reduces the risk of dementia and enhances health and well-being. A key factor necessary for improving your brain function or reversing functional decline is the seriousness of purpose with which you engage in a task. In other words, the task must be important to you, or somehow meaningful or interesting — it must hold your attention.

For instance, craft activities such as quilting and knitting were associated with decreased odds of having mild cognitive impairment. Taking part in "cognitively demanding" activities like learning to quilt or take digital photography enhances memory function in older adults. The key is to find an activity that is mentally stimulating for you. Ideally this should be something that requires your undivided attention and gives you great satisfaction… it should be an activity that you look forward to doing, such as playing a musical instrument, gardening, building model ships, crafting or many others.

Technique #4: Get more sleep

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have discovered that losing half a night’s rest—three or four hours—on just one evening can erode memory. One way to slow decline in ageing adults is to improve the length and quality of sleep. During a deep sleep of eight hours or more, it’s believed that the brain shifts memories from temporary to longer-term storage. Yet we are all guilty of getting less than seven hours of sleep a night. So next time you need to boost and restore brain power, a mid-day shut-eye will do you good.

Technique #5: Use mnemonic devices

Mnemonic devices are memory tools to help you remember words, information or concepts. They help you to organise information into an easier-to-remember format. Try:

• Acronyms (such as PUG for "pick up grapes")
• Visualisations (such as imagining a tooth to remember your dentist's appointment)
• Rhymes (if you need to remember a name, for instance, think "Sam likes ham”)
• Chunking, which is breaking up information into smaller "chunks" (such as organising numbers into the format of a phone number)

Technique #6: Hit the gym

Exercise encourages your brain to work at optimum capacity by stimulating nerve cells to multiply, strengthening their interconnections and protecting them from damage.

During exercise nerve cells release proteins known as neurotrophic factors. One in particular, called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), triggers numerous other chemicals that promote neural health, and directly benefits cognitive functions, including learning.

To get the most out of your workouts, a comprehensive programme that includes high-intensity interval exercise, strength training, stretching, and core work, along with regular intermittent movement is recommended.